By L. Crystal Michallet-Romero
Copyright © October 29, 2001 L. Crystal Michallet-Romero
All Rights Reserved
Reworked: Tuesday, January - February 2004
Disclaimers:
* Xena Warrior Princess, its characters, and all related materials are the property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance
Pictures. All other characters are mine.
* This story in no way reflects the life or actions of the wonderful actress, Claire Stansfield. Her portrayal of Xena’s
nemesis was so wickedly inspired as to make the character of Alti the absolute evil villain.
Rated: NC-17, not intended, or suitable for children.
Violence: Physical child abuse issues are portrayed and its effects are completely explored.
Sexual Violence: Child molestation is depicted and its effects are explored fully.
Subtext: X/G are portrayed as being in a loving, long-term relationship/marriage.
Extra Warning:
As Alti raised the main character, I feel it’s necessary to warn that this story deals with child abuse and molestation issues.
It may trigger abuse issues for some. This story should be unpleasant for all readers, but to know Ari, and the difficulties
that her new family faces, it is important to know where she came from.
All feedback welcomed at: CrystalMichallet@yahoo.com
Crystal’s web site at: http: //www.charani.org/XenaFanFicMichallet.html
Note to readers:
I may have stated in the past that all of my stories are independent of each other and it should not be confused or assume
that one will predict the outcome of another… I lied! Sorry about that, but I couldn’t very well say that this series,
SOTM, takes place after The Curse of Higuchi without letting the readers know how COH was going to end, now could
I? So this introduction of SOTM is the part that I had to withhold in order to keep the outcome of COH hidden. SOTM
takes place after COH, and picked up where our two heroes left off. Although not necessary, it does help to read my
previous FIN story, The Curse of Higuchi, which can be found at:
http://www.xenafiction.net/scrolls/crystal_machallet_tcoh1.hts
Announcement: I’m fully aware that the use of Italics, according to grammar rules, is meant to be used sparingly and
only to emphasize certain words. However, for the comfort of the readers, all sections of the story that can be construed
as childhood abuse scenes are now placed in Italics in order that anyone may skip these more disturbing scenes if they so
wish. I decided that as long as I knew the rule, then it would be all right to break it especially if it helps the reader.
The cold steel cut into her flesh. Although the cave had grown colder than usual, Ari felt nothing. Not even the
pain of her bindings caused her to whimper. Any cries and pleas of forgiveness were buried away by the endless
hours of beatings and torture. Instead of crying, she hung from the chains; the weight of her body adding to the
strain of the bindings around her wrists. When she glanced up in the gloomy darkness, she saw the trickles of
blood falling down her arms from her wrists. Her fingers were as numb to everything around her as her mind.
“This is no good,” the familiar hiss of her mother echoed in the cave.
Ari tilted her head slightly. The movement caused the iron bindings to cut deeper into her wrists. With one eye
swollen, a cut lip, and the side of her face bruised, she fought to focus her remaining good eye on the tall woman
who paced before her. Deep in thought, Alti’s head was bent, her features hidden in the shadows as she spoke
quickly.
“This is no good, no good at all! With Xena dead, all of my plans are ruined!” the sorceress hissed as she turned
again on her captive daughter. “Do you know what this means, little girl?” her fingers clamped onto the girl’s
battered face, the painful bruising elicited a slight moan. “It means you are WORTHLESS to me!”
Ari heard the words, yet her mind did not register the meaning. In all of her time with her mother, the dark child
quickly learned that thinking, reasoning for herself was not something Alti would allow. So ever since the day of
her arrival in this mysterious cave, Ari never allowed herself the luxury of independent thought. Instead, she did
as she was told. She obeyed her mother because she knew the punishment for disobeying was too high a price to
pay.
“Xena went and got herself killed…AGAIN!” Alti growled as she turned away and began her mad pacing. “All
of my plans…all of my desires…revenge…” she gasped in a tear, “worthless…all worthless…” the tall woman’s
moans echoed in the cave.
In silence, the girl watched her mother’s movements. She felt a dizziness fall over her as her one good eye closed.
How long she had been hanging here being beaten she did not know. The girl didn’t even understand why it was
happening. Usually when her mother was gone for many days, she returned with a bloodlust that required a
different sating. But this time, the moment that Alti entered the cave, the teen knew something was terribly
wrong. As if Ari was the cause of the sorceress’ woes, the taller woman grabbed her from the furs and dragged
her across the cave. When the irons were put around her wrists, and Alti lifted her to the hook in the ceiling, the
adolescent girl realized this might be the end for her.
“Wake up!” Alti screamed as she slapped Ari’s bruised and battered face. “No, little girl, you don’t have the
luxury of passing out. I want you to feel every last bit of what I give you,” she hissed as she yanked on the girl’s
hair, a scowl crossed the sorceress features before she turned away.
“If I can’t have Xena…” the woman’s harsh voice echoed in the caves as she moved to a nearby table. With a
slight smile, the evil sorceress glanced over the implements. Her fingers lovingly touched the cold steel as a smile
crossed her features. Just as she used to do with the men that she brought into the cave, Alti planned to use these
tools on Ari.
Even though the dark child had watched her mother’s expertise, the idea of being on the receiving end of such
treatment did nothing to Ari. She was not afraid, nor was she sad. Although she wondered about her mother’s
actions, deep down inside, Ari felt nothing because a part of her had died those many years ago when she was
first brought to this magical cave of her imprisonment. After endless days in the chains, the countless beatings
inflicted by Alti’s fists, feet and teeth, the tall girl realized that she was beyond caring. Even when the sorceress
reached between the girl’s legs and hurt her till she bled, the dark teenager did little more than whimper in pain.
Hearing her thoughts, the tall woman turned to her. A snarl curled her lips as she held one of the implements
over a burning flame. When the tip was glowing red, the dark sorceress walked slowly toward her, a slight smile
curved Alti’s lips.
“Don’t worry my…little girl,” Alti’s raspy voice whispered ever so softly as she stood in front of her captive’s
dangling body. “Don’t worry at all because I promise, this will last as long as I intended it to last for Xena,” she
said as she placed the hot iron on Ari’s sweat drenched flesh.
At the instant sensation, a loud scream rang through the cavern as tears fell from Ari’s eyes. Feigning
compassion, Alti tenderly brushed her long slender fingers through the dark child’s hair. Her voice cooed softly in
reassurance while she held the implement of torture against the young girl’s sensitive flesh.
